


The Tech Can Wait

by orphan_account



Category: Voltron - Fandom, Voltron: Legendary Defender, vld - Fandom
Genre: Alien festival, Car Wash AU, Character Development, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Follower Request, Gen, Minor Original Character(s), No Romance, Pidge | Katie Holt-centric, Sentient Voltron Lions, Sort Of, Team Bonding, Tumblr Prompt, Tumblr Rec, alien ritual, car wash fic, hunk development, more of a lion wash, paladin development, paladin family, pidge development, pidge main character, prince lyth - Freeform, shiro is supportive, tons of team bonding, tridans - Freeform, weird alien traditions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-25
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2019-06-16 00:38:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15425175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Pidge wasn't one to connect with others. Machines were more her forte. But when the paladins save the planet Tridus from the Galra Empire, Pidge suddenly finds herself participating in the inhabitant's festival ritual with the rest of her team! To make things worse, the ritual is ten hours long! Pidge wasn't looking forward to this in the slightest, and it looks like she's not the only one.This was a request made by my followers on tumblr! It's based off a car wash, but I improvised to make it more Voltron-style. Enjoy!





	1. Especia

**Author's Note:**

> This is my very first Voltron fic so I hope you enjoy it. I am fully open to thoughts and criticism, as long as there is no hate. Thank you for taking the time to read this!

It was supposed to be a simple thing…so why on any planet in the universe was Pidge covered head to toe in slimy alien goo?!  
  
She was getting really sick of having to do all these annoying stunts for the coalition. Not only did they seem pointless, but they took valuable time away that she could be spending trying to reconfigure the Altean shield's power to be able to sustain more damage.  
  
Pidge wasn't used to socializing anyway.  
  
This just wasn't her thing, which only made it all the more annoying when Shiro had asked her to stop working on the shields and join them for a coalition festival being held on Tridus, the planet they had most recently saved from the Galran Empire.  
  
“Are you sure I have to be there? It's just a festival, not a recruit, so why do I have to go?”  
  
“Come on Pidge. It's good to take a break anyways. The Tridans would love to see the Green Lion and you could use some fresh air.”  
  
“But Shiro, the whole planet is filled with plants...and people….I'd rather eat Coran's meals than deal with that...”  
  
Shiro folded his arms and looked at Pidge sympathetically. “Think of this as a training exercise. Getting used to all types of situations and scenarios will help you become a better paladin. Plus, we'll be with you the whole time. Suit up paladin.”  
  
With that, Shiro walked out of the room, leaving no room for further discussion. Pidge groaned as she got up to change into her paladin armor, already wishing she was doing anything else but this.  
  
  
As soon as the paladins landed on Tridus, the smell of the thick forest hit their noses. It smelled strongly like a rainforest on Earth, only sweeter. Pidge looked around, but there was no city to be seen.  
  
Lance spoke her thoughts first.  
  
“So, is it just me, or does no one see a city? Why were we told to land here?”  
  
All of a sudden, the trees in front of them began to blur, quickly dissipating.  
  
Instead of trees now, a huge gate stood before them. It slowly creaked open, and a figure emerged from it, walking towards the paladins. They put up their guard, not quite sure what was happening, until they recognized the figure as the prince of Tridus.  
  
“Paladins! I'm so glad you could make it! My people are awaiting you inside the city!”  
  
“Prince Lyth, Voltron is honored to be able to participate in your festival. We are glad that you have agreed to join the coalition as well. With your technology, we hope to make many advancements in our forces. Our green paladin, Pidge, works with cloaking as well, and I'm sure would love to discuss such with you and your people.”  
  
Shiro gestured to Pidge, who was still baffled at what she just saw.  
  
She had worked on cloaking for her lion, but it was nothing compared to this. To be able to hide an entire city as long as they wished, it was incredible. Prince Lyth smiled at Pidge's expression and held his hand out.  
  
“Cloaking technology has been something we have prided in for many decaphoebes. The Galra may have invaded the rest of our cities, but they could never find this one. My people will continue to work on advancing it, and are more than willing to help Voltron in this fight. If you'd like, you can talk to our main tech experts after the festival is over. I'm sure they'd love to show you many things.”  
  
Pidge wanted to talk to them now and just skip over the festival entirely, but she knew Shiro wouldn't let her.  
  
Participating in the festival was an important part of getting to know their new allies. Plus, Shiro had said something about forming better bonds with the team as well, though Pidge had figured their bond was good enough as is.  
  
As long as they were able to form Voltron, it should be enough right? How much more bonding did they even need?  
  
  
The Prince led the paladins into the city where the festival was being held. Before they had even reached the main square, Pidge could see the bright colored lights glowing accompanying the sounds of people cheering and dancing to music.  
  
She honestly hoped they wouldn't ask all of them to dance. Her teammates, including her, were not the most graceful, and dancing wasn't even close to making it on Pidge's list of enjoyable activities.  
  
Once they got to the main square, however, Pidge was speechless.  
  
All lined up in front were the most complex-looking and beautiful machines she had ever seen. They were all pretty big, maybe a third the size of their lions. All of them were painted with different colored powders, one for each paladin.  
  
Were they going to use the machines? Pidge had no idea what they did but she was eager to find out.  
  
Hunk seemed to feel the same way as he was the first to speak up about it.  
  
“So, as much as I love festivals and more importantly, festival food, when do we get to see what the big things do?”  
  
The Prince smiled and gestured to his people, who were all cheering at the sight of their new saviors.  
  
He made a wave with his hand, and the noise began to die down. Once it was quiet enough to speak, he turned to face the paladins.  
  
“Our brave paladins, who saved us from a lifetime imprisonment to the Galra Empire, we welcome you to our humble festival. Here you are all free to eat, laugh, and dance to your heart's content. But before that, we would be so honored if you would participate in our ceremonial tradition!”  
  
He gestured to the machines.  
  
“These machines are filled with a special substance called Especia that is used on all of our technology. It contains special micro-energy spores that help sustain power in a machine. Every full cycle, we hold a ceremony with specially made Especia that can be tailored to help upgrade a machine based on it’s needs. We use to honor our hardest workers and most honorable fighters and helpers. This cycle we have chosen to make it for the Lions of Voltron.”  
  
Prince Lyth walked up to the paladins, handing them all a set of robes.  
  
“These robes are the traditional garments used by those we honor during the ceremony. After the ceremony, we will feast and celebrate for three quintants. Will you participate in our ceremony?”  
  
The younger paladins looked to each other, and then to Shiro. Their eyes were pleading him not to accept. None of them wanted to do this. Washing their Lions in some strange goo while wearing weird outfits? This was basically a more disgusting car wash. They were grateful that this substance could possibly help their Lions, but couldn't anyone else but them do it?  
  
Shiro sighed and smiled at the Prince.  
  
“We would love to participate in your ceremony.”  
  
The whole city erupted in cheers so loud, you couldn't even hear the sound of the other four paladins groaning in unison at their disapproval.


	2. Getting the Hang of It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> None of the paladins are excited to do this, especially when they're hungry! But at least with each other, they can make their way through, and hopefully become stronger in the process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the second chapter! I'm already finished with the fic, I just have to edit the rest before posting, so keep an eye out for the new chapters. Enjoy!

“I think I have mine on backwards.”  
  
Hunk burst out in laughter when Lance walked out with his robes on, clearly not wearing them correctly. The back hiked up way too high on him, making his ass almost visible. The front had seams sticking out and the hood was bunched up against Lance's neck.  
  
“I think it's a little more than backwards, buddy.” Lance stuck his tongue out.  
  
“Well it's not my fault these outfits are so confusing. Why do we have to do this anyway? Don't get me wrong, Blue is my girl forever, but why do I have to get all gooey with her? I'd rather be getting all gooey with the Tridan ladies.”  
  
Pidge didn't agree with Lance often, but she had to agree with him on this one, well not with the ladies, but the other stuff. Pidge loved Green, in fact she was probably closer to Green than any of the team, but why did she have to through this whole ritual to show it? She'd much rather be working on the actual machines the Tridans had made or even back on the ship, working on the Altean shields.  
  
“Look guys, I know none of us want to do this, but participating will help strengthen the bonds between the Tridans and Voltron. It'll help prove we're really on their side. Besides, we could use this as a bonding exercise for our Lions and each other as well.” Shiro pointed out.  
  
The paladins chose not to say anything more, knowing it was pointless to argue. They knew Shiro was right, but that didn't make it anymore enjoyable.

 

After the team finally got into their garments, they went and retrieved their lions.  
  
Pidge walked up to her lion and sighed.  
  
“Well girl, looks like you and I are gonna have some bonding time. Time to give you a bath, well, sort of.”

She and the others flew their lions into the center of the city, setting them down in front of their designated machines.  
  
Prince Lyth beamed as the paladins walked out of their lions, wearing the robes they had provided.  
  
He turned to face the crowd. “My people! What a long time since we have last been able to have a celebration such as this! The Galra may have tried to take us down, but with the help of the mighty Voltron, we emerged victorious! Now let us laugh, dance, and eat as we witness the Especia Ritual performed by our very own heroes!!”  
  
The crowd erupted in cheers, and soon music filled the air as the people began to dance and celebrate.  
  
The Prince then turned to face the team. “Our brave paladins, please begin the ritual by scanning your faces into the machines.”  
  
Keith turned to the Prince with a questioning look on his face. “How long does this ritual last, exactly?”  
  
“The ritual itself will last 10 hours, and once that is completed, we will spend the next three quintants celebrating with the paladins. Enjoy!”  
  
The Prince walked off into the crowd, leaving the paladins standing there in shock. All at once they looked at Shiro, giving him an accusing glare.  
  
“Oh come on guys, it won't be that bad! We've had worse before. Now, let's get started.”  
  
He walked up to the machine and motioned for the paladins to do the same. The rest walked up to their machines and looked into the scanner. A bright light beamed over their faces before starting a countdown from three.  
  
“Why is it cou-” before Pidge could finish, a shot of goo hit her straight in the face, knocking her to the ground.  
  
She sat there for a moment, barely registering what just happened. She reached up to her face to wipe some of the goo off. It was sticky and cold, and made her skin tingle a little.  
  
“What the actual quiznak?!” Pidge looked over to the others to see them in the same predicament, all covered in goo.  
  
“So I'm guessing this is Especia.” Pidge noted.  
  
Lance wiped the goo off of his face with a disgusted look. “Couldn't it have given us a better warning??”  
  
“Well, it did start counting down. We probably should've seen that coming.” Hunk pointed out.  
  
“I'm already sick of this, and we've just started.” Keith grumbled.  
  
Pidge couldn't agree more.

 

The first hour was spent with the paladins trying to figure out how to work the machines. By hour two, they were covered in Especia and had barely even gotten any on their Lions.  
  
It was supposed to be a simple thing….so why on any planet in the universe was Pidge covered head to toe in slimy alien goo?!She was getting really sick of having to do all these annoying stunts for the coalition. 

By the third hour, they had started getting the hang of it. Shiro was the first to figure out that the machines had a hose connected which was where the slime was shooting out from. By using the hose, you could aim it at any part of the machine as it shot out. He also figured out that to get it to stop shooting, you had to press a clamp on the side which would shut off the power to the hose.  
  
As for the actual part of washing, turns out there weren't any brushes. The Tridans had special bodies that allowed them to climb the machines and disperse the Especia around the area they were on.  
  
The paladins had to settle for gripping onto their Lions and sliding down them while being coated in the goo.  
  
The robes did help some, as they were made of a rubbery organic material that helped grip onto the Lions. 

By the fourth hour, they were able to wash the lions properly, but that's when other problems arose. Like hunger.  
  
“How long has it been? I'm starving.” Hunk groaned.  
  
“Four hours, and we can't eat yet. I was talking to one of the Tridan's earlier and apparently eating while performing the ritual is seen as rude. They can go for weeks while fasting, so it's nothing to them.”  
  
“But I'm not a Tridan. I can't wait ten hours to eat!”  
  
Pidge stopped washing her Lion to look at Hunk. “Don't you have snacks in your lion?”  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“Then sneak in and get a snack. They're all dancing, they won't notice.”  
  
Hunk sat there and contemplated it.  
  
Suddenly Keith spoke up.  
  
“No.”  
  
Pidge and Hunk looked at him, surprised. “No?”  
  
“No. Hunk, you can do this. You're a paladin of Voltron. There is nothing you can't handle if you put your mind to it. Remember, patience yields focus. We all believe in you. They gave us a mission and we're going to follow through on it.”  
  
Pidge was shocked. Keith was usually one to jump the gun and ignore the rules, but for once he was staying firm on it.  
  
Hunk sat there for a moment in thought before looking back to Keith. “You're right. I can do this. Let's continue!”  
  
Keith smiled and went back to washing his Lion along with Hunk, leaving the rest to sit there in amazement at what just happened.  
  
Maybe this experience wasn’t so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hunk you can do this! I love it when the paladins go through bonding experiences together. It makes my heart full. Let me know what you think of it so far in the comments! Thanks for reading!


	3. Meeting Halfway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes we don't start truly opening up until we reach halfway. But it's always nice when others are willing to meet halfway with you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a disclaimer-I do not speak Spanish by any means, so I am really sorry if this is not accurate, and I'd love for you to tell me the right way if it isn't! This is based on me trying to find a way to incorporate the scene between Lance and Pidge into the story and development of their characters. I used google for the translating, so I'm aware that it might not be fully accurate, but I tried my best! I hope you like it!

It had been five hours now.  
  
They were halfway done.  
  
If only it felt like it.  
  
Pidge looked over Green. There was so much more area to cover. This would've been so much easier if they could make a machine that would just coat the whole thing at once. She should talk to the Tridans about that after they finished the festival. 

 

Pidge was so deep in thought, she didn't see it coming when a large shot of goo hit her straight in the face, nearly knocking her off her Lion. She looked over angrily to see who had the nerve to hit her. She saw Lance laying on the back of his lion, holding his hose and cackling with laughter.  
  
“Lance!!! We're supposed to be cleaning!” Lance sat up and wiped a tear from his eye, still chuckling.  
  
“Oh come on Pidge, we've been at this for hours now. Live a little.” Pidge narrowed her eyes at him.  
  
Though the more she thought about it, the more she realized he was right. They had been at this for hours, trying to perform the ritual the way they were supposed to. But this way just wasn't them. They could have fun and still perform the ritual too.  
  
She quickly grabbed her hose that she had dropped when Lance hit her and aimed it towards the blue paladin, quickly shooting it before he had a chance to react. However, Pidge wasn't a sharpshooter like Lance, so the goo flew past him and smacked Shiro straight in the face.  
  
Shiro glared at them as Lance pointed to Pidge.  
  
“She started it!”  
  
“Did not!”  
  
“Did too!”  
  
The two were too busy arguing to notice goo flying straight for them.  
  
The first shot hit Lance, and Pidge shrieked as the second shot came straight for her. She used her arms to guard herself, but it wasn't enough as the goo splattered all over her.  
  
Both paladins stared at Shiro in shock, who was smirking at them.  
  
“Oh it's on now!” Pidge and Lance grabbed their hoses and began firing. Hunk and Keith looked up at the commotion and decided to join in too.  
  
Before long, all the paladins were firing left and right, laughing to the point of tears as they coated each other in goo.  
  
Some of the Tridans took notice and began to laugh too. They didn't fully understand it, but it looked like fun and they enjoyed seeing the paladins have a good time. They all cheered, yelling out the names of the paladins they wanted to win, though it wasn't really a competition.  
  
Pidge's heart raced with excitement and for the first time since they had gotten here, she was finally having fun.

 

By the time they had finished their goo fight, another hour had passed.  
  
The paladins and their Lions were coated in Especia, as were some of the Tridans who had gotten caught in the crossfire.  
  
Shiro smiled at his team. “Man I haven't had that much fun in a long time. I guess I get caught up in all the duties and responsibilities that I forget to enjoy myself. I guess there's more than one way to bond as a team.”  
  
The team smiled and nodded in agreement. Maybe this festival wasn't so bad after all, maybe even a little fun. Just a little.

 

It had been seven hours now, and Pidge had coated most of Green in the Especia. Their goo fight had helped spread it more, which she was grateful.  
  
Being the smallest paladin, it was hard to cover as much as the others did. Pidge hated being so small. It made everyone look down on her.  
  
Though, that wasn't fully true. Her team never looked down on her. They always treated her as an equal. They all came from very different places, but deep down they were the family Pidge always needed. She never really appreciated them enough for that.  
  
“Hey Pidge.”  
  
Pidge looked over to Lance, who was facing her with an intrigued look on his face.  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“It's weird that they call this stuff Especia.”  
  
“Why's that?”  
  
Lance scooped up some of the goo and began squishing it between his fingers. “Because 'especia' means 'spice' in Spanish. But it also almost sounds like a combination of 'sustancia especial', which means 'special substance' in Spanish. Which is really fitting, considering this is a special goo that makes your skin tingly, kind of like spice.”  
  
“I didn't know you could speak Spanish.”  
  
“Yeah it's actually my primary language. I'm bilingual. I learned English so I could join the Garrison. My mom went and found all the English books she could to help me study. But she made me promise that I'd never forget my heritage or true language, which would never happen. It means too much to me.”  
  
Lance looked down, his expression becoming sad.  
  
“Do you miss them?” Pidge asked softly.  
  
“Yeah. I really do. The first thing I'm going to do when I get home is give my mom the biggest hug in the world.”  
  
Pidge's heart stung. She thought about her own mom, who had no idea she was alive. Who had no idea where any of her family was, or if any of them were alive. Pidge wished she could hug her. She looked back to Lance, who was wiping a tear from his eye.  
  
“Hey Lance?”  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“Do you think, maybe once we get back to the castle, you could start teaching me Spanish? I'm always looking to learn new things, and recently I've been studying Altean. I figured it could help me understand more about them. But I'd like to understand more about you too. About all of you. I want to be closer to my team. More like family.”  
  
Lance stared at Pidge as another tear fell from his face, which made Pidge panic.  
  
“If you don't want to, that's fine too! I don't want to bring up any bad memories or anything.”  
  
“No no, I'd love to.” Lance wiped the tears from his face. “I just didn't think anyone would ever want to know. I'd love to teach you Pidge.”  
  
Pidge smiled, her eyes getting a little glossy as well.  
  
“Thank you.”  
  
“No problem.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go! This fic was so much fun to write, and I hope you're all enjoying reading it! Let me know what you think of it so far in the comments!


	4. The Bonds We Share

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The festival is coming to a close, but the paladins are struggling to connect with their lions. It's time for them to become the team they need to be, even if that means opening up in order to strengthen their bonds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter!!! This fic was surprisingly really fun to write. Thank you for taking the time to read it! Enjoy!

Eight hours in, and Pidge was getting tired.  
  
She wasn't feeling any bonding with her Lion happening, and as far as she could see, the Especia wasn't absorbing into Green at all. She looked over to the others and they didn't seem to be getting any further than her.  
  
“Isn't this stuff supposed to absorb into the Lions? Why isn't it doing anything?”  
  
They all stopped and realized she was right. Nothing was happening. Maybe they were doing it wrong?  
  
“Is there some kind of thing were supposed to do in order to make it all magical and stuff?” Lance questioned.  
  
“Well, Prince Lyth did say it helps form a bond with our Lions. Maybe we're supposed to try and connect with our Lions like we do when we form Voltron?” Shiro pointed out.  
  
It was worth a try. The paladins faced their lions and closed their eyes, all trying to focus like they did when they formed Voltron. After a few minutes of nothing happening, they opened their eyes and sighed.  
  
“Why isn't it working? We never have a problem forming Voltron like this. Is our connection not strong enough?” Keith asked.  
  
“Maybe it's not just our connection to each other, but to our Lions as well.” Pidge thought aloud. “Before we started the ritual, none of us wanted to do this, even though it meant further bonding with our Lions. The Lions can sense things like that, so maybe they refuse to let us in because we refuse to do the same for them.”  
  
Keith turned and faced his lion.  
  
“Well, I know I wouldn't be here without Red. He's helped me through so many predicaments. I didn't want to do this before, but when I think about it, Red deserves this and more. For all the times you've saved my life, I thank you. I hope we can continue to fight, side by side.”  
  
Suddenly, Red lit up and the goo began to glow. It slowly started seeping into Red, and Keith gasped as he felt his connection to Red roar to life.  
  
His mind was filled with visions of Red and all he was capable of.  
  
He could hear Red's voice, stronger than he's ever heard it before. He could almost make out actual words as Red spoke to him.  
  
It was unbelievable.  
  
The Tridans witnessed Red accepting Keith and cheered.  
  
The other paladins looked to their lions and closed their eyes, focusing on their bond once more.  
  
Pidge could feel Green tug at her. Part of her was fearful of letting Green in, but she knew it had to be done. This was important, not just for Green, but her as well.  
  
She took a deep breath and let Green explore her, reading into her deepest thoughts and feelings, until Green found the one place she had been searching for.  
  
Pidge’s devotion to being a paladin.  
  
Green lit up and suddenly Pidge could see and feel everything. She could see Green's memories, emotions, connection to her team, all of it.  
  
Pidge was overwhelmed. Tears began to fall down her face as she heard Green whisper to her.  
  
“Thank you.”

 

The paladins spent the next hour bonding with their Lions. They shared everything. Loss, happiness, fears. Every part of them that had been hiding for so long.  
  
Eventually the Lions agreed it was time and took the paladins further, creating a mindspace for them to bond together in.  
  
The team was floored, never even realizing just how far the Lion's capabilities could go.  
  
They sat there in the mindspace, discussing all types of things. Their families, their hopes and dreams, their childhood stories. They laughed, they cried, and by the time the tenth hour rolled along, they realized just how fast the time had flown by.  
  
They never knew how much they needed that before until now.  
  
They emerged from the consciousness of their Lion's feeling stronger and more connected than ever.

 

Once the ritual was officially over, the Tridans cheered for the paladins and brought them baskets of food and new clothes to wear.  
  
These ones were elegant garments with long capes that were the color of each of their lions, with the Voltron symbol stitched in gold on them. The outfit consisted of loose pants that cuffed around the ankles, with a form fitting top that had stitched designs all throughout it.  
  
The paladins washed all the Especia off and entered the town square, adorning their new outfits.  
  
Hunk was the first to dig in, exclaiming how good food tasted after ten hours of not eating. The others laughed and soon joined in as well.  
  
As Pidge was ready to stuff some type of bread roll in her mouth, Shiro approached her.  
  
“Hey, I know this was hard for you, and I just want to tell you that I'm proud of you. If you'd like, I can tell Prince Lyth you'd like to talk to his scientists about their machines so you don't have to participate in the festival.”  
  
Pidge thought about it and smiled. “You know, I've never been good at socializing, but after this experience, I feel more connected to my team and others than ever before. I'm not saying I'm going to go talking to every stranger I meet now like Lance does, but I don't think I'm going to run away now either. You guys all work hard to face your own trials. There's no reason I can't do the same. I'm going to stay and enjoy the festival for awhile.”  
  
Shiro put his hand on Pidge's shoulder and smiled at her. “Your family would be proud.”  
  
“I know.”  
  
With that, Pidge ran off to go find the others. None of them knew how much longer they had to spend together. All they had was now.  
  
So, she figured for now, the shields and Tridan technology could wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think? I know, I totally suck at endings *cries*. To be honest, I didn't expect the fic to be this long, so the ending got rushed a little. But I hope you enjoyed it anyway. If you want to send me a request for another fic, find me on tumblr @voltronic2000! Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you like it! If you have a request for another fic, find me on tumblr @voltronic2000! Thanks for reading!


End file.
